


I think it's gonna rain today

by Cana_banana



Category: Zombies Run!
Genre: Gender-Neutral Runner Five, POV Second Person, second person writing, warning for vague anger towards garden gnomes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-16
Updated: 2016-06-16
Packaged: 2018-07-15 12:12:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7221871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cana_banana/pseuds/Cana_banana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An easy run, they said. Just for supplies, you’ll be back home in a jiffy, they said.<br/>It might be the end of the world, but that doesn’t mean that weather forecasts were never important.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I think it's gonna rain today

[Authors note: Inspired by a heavy downpour this afternoon at my home – I feel like this fandom suffers a lot, so it’s time for something with a nice turnout! Takes place in Season 1! All characters are from season 1 as well, but the fic is spoiler free in terms of events of the storyline! Currently a one-shot but I am considering continuing it with some aftermath of that dang rain, so if you want a fluff-fic upcoming in relation to that, write in the comments!]

 

 

“ _I don’t care, Mr. Yao! These supplies are vital for the township!”_

_“You can’t just put my runners at risk! Look at this! We can’t handle any more situations like this! They’re people too—“_

_“_ Your _runners? I might remind you that this is_ my _home that the load of you came to invade! I am in charge of this place!”_

_“You can’t keep risking the safety of runners like this! It will get them killed sooner or later!”_

_“Sometimes, we don’t have a choice! Runner 5, if you copy, speed up – Runner 8 is ready to run interference if you need it, but the sooner you get those supplies back, the better!”_

 

Okay, back up, rewind.

 

It really is not as dramatic as Sam and Janine’s conversation makes it sound. You haven’t even been around here for that long yet, but you’re pretty familiar with them by now, them and a few other faces. And these two in particular can get carried away – Not that it’s not sometimes appropriate, but considering the fact that they are both huge nerds incredibly invested in fantasy games and RPG’s of all sort, it’s not that unlike them. You learnt that in your first week.

So, the main situation was actually true enough. The nearest populated city (or former city, it mostly consist of the undead now, which perhaps would also be considered a population– Not relevant) was only a few miles out and on a scouting, Runner 4, Jody, had through a supermarket while trying to escape the zombies on her tail. She’d managed to catch in the flash that there were some locked cupboards in the pharmacy department, though she’d obviously not had time to go in there.

Janine still wanted to check it out, though. And because it would only be a short run to the city, she had determined it to be a fairly easy run, perfect to get you out and about to look around the area and get familiar with it. Sam was on his rest break and therefore not involved at first. It was all good though, you trust Janine.

Early morning you were by the gates, ready to go and you went and everything went smoothly until it just so turned out that a bloody massive thunderstorm was looming over half of God-damn Britain. Janine had dismissed it, simply telling you to hurry before it would start, but she sort of miscalculated a bit and by a bit you mean a lot in regards to said storm.

You were about halfway out towards the city when a crack of lightning split the skies into two and opened a flood over your head. Janine simply let out a small, nonchalant “Oh. Well, you should really hurry up then” and didn’t comment on it after that.

You were on the comms still, although silently, when Sam came in to ask for you to hear if you wanted to play Demons and Darkness with him and Maxine. Dear Sam could be a little distracted, but he wasn’t stupid and when he saw Janine with the headset and a running figure on the monitors, he put two and two together.

It was touching to listen to, in all honesty, because you’re still relatively new around here and Sam was immediately so upset about seeing you out in this hell-weather and started chiding Janine about “never doing that to _his runners_!”.

Which brings you to here and now, with you running and them arguing, speaking to you but not really with you – you just listen and go with it.

You let them blabber on for a while longer as the city comes into view and you shake the water out of your face, finally interrupting them. “Not that I don’t appreciate your chattering, but I need directions before I can hurry up!” You almost have to shout over the rain. That might attract zoms, although consequently, the rain might drown that out too.

“ _Right._ ” You hear Sam after a few moments of silence and a drawn out ‘uuuuhhhh’ sound tells you that he is considering the best place for you to go. You can practically hear Janine’s eyes rolling. “ _Turn left down along that road ahead of you – yeah, that one. The supermarket is pretty close to the outskirts and pharmacy should be around the back.”_ He directs and you nod even if he can’t hear it.

You turn left and then it’s a little tricky getting into the town because in the panic of the zombie apocalypse, the roads are blocked with all sorts of rubbish – bricks, chairs, tables, a vending machine (sadly empty though) and an old garden gnome with half it’s face missing. Appropriate given the circumstances. Point is that it’s already slippery as all hell with the rain and the minor obstacle course isn’t helping that much.

“Okay, supermarket – Tesco, yeah?” You breathe into the mic and look up at the big, red letters.

“ _Well, you’d called it ‘Teco’ now if going by that sign—“_

_“Mr. Yao.”_

_“Right yes, supplies, of course. Circle the building clockwise and you should be able to enter through, uh, that big broken window. No point in trying the door, I guess.”_

It wouldn’t be. You barely have to put effort into not touching the glass shards, you can just step in. Finally you have a few moments out of the rain and you slick some loose hair out of your face while listening to the rain heavily tapping on the roof, the occasional burst of thunder accompanying it. “Where’s the cupboards?”

“ _By the far wall, yes, to the other side. Good. We can see you on the cameras – Just break it open and grab what you can.”_ Janine tells you firmly and you pull at the wooden doors a few times, wondering who had time to lock it in times of the apocalypse, before you manage to rip it open.

A few bottles and packets fly out onto the floor but they’re not that frail and only one of them breaks, spilling a bunch of overdue vitamin pills.

_“What can you find?”_

“Painkillers – some Ibuprofen, a packet or two of Calpol…” As you say their names, you rustle your backpack to hang in front of you, stuffing them in there as tightly as you can pack. In the beginning of all of this, you were against theft but the further humanity descends, the further morals drop. “Lots and lots of band aids – oh and some sort of certified hair dye. Sam, do you think Janine will look good in platinum blonde?”

You hear Sam laughing and smile to yourself while Janine scoffs. _“Ha ha, very funny._ ” She says sarcastically, before returning to business without appreciating the bit of fun you bring to this already soppy mission. “ _Focus, Five, and prioritize. There’s a pack of zombies heading your way. They must have heard the glass smash—“_

_“Impressive that their hearing is still better than most humans when they’ve gone grey!”_

_“…Only take what’s necessary and then head out of there._ ”

 

You immediately speed up, not really looking over what you’re bringing with. You shove as much of it into the backpack as you can manage and blindly grab a rumpled plastic bag from under the counter, managing to toss and additional couple of items in there. “What about the other cupboard?”

“ _Leave it locked, we’ll return some other time. You have to get out now, Five, they’re going to be on you in 20 seconds—Yeah, no better make that 15. Hurry!”_

It’s not like you’re not already used to this sort of close-call, this isn’t even the worst you’ve had, but it’s never pleasant hearing the groaning, moaning sounds from outside the store. Ripping at the zipper, you hope you don’t break it in the hurry of closing it, sliding the plastic back to your elbow and hopping out of the glass window, setting into a run the way you came.

 

“ _They’re not gaining on you, but a little more distance would do you good, so if you could just speed up a little bit—“_

_“Five! Watch your 4o’clock!”_

Janine’s shrill warning makes you jump to your left by instinct and just in time – The crawler near got a hold of your leg.

Although brief, it was a distraction and you only manage to gather yourself by a fraction to run ahead again and gain time on the other zoms to stay ahead and—

Slip, yelp, flail aaaaand crash.

You hear a surprised shout in your headset, your clothes are still sticking uncomfortably to your skin, and you’re not sure if you blacked out for a few seconds or just shut your eyes per reflex.

“ _Oh my God! Five! Are you alright?! I-I’m sorry, I didn’t see it, it was out of camera range!”_

_“Runner 5, you have to get up. The zoms are catching up and that crawler is still trying to get to you!”_

Maybe it’s just in your head, but you’re pretty sure that Chris should do some research on whether zombie-presence boost speed. You’re pretty damn sure it does, outside of fight-or-flight. At least the last time a seagull tried to hack down on you, you surely did not start running this quickly.

You scramble to your feet and the clattering of broken glass reaches your ears, probably from some bottles in the plastic bag that hit the ground. Nevermind that, actually – Your ankle stings at the step, not badly so, you can tell it’s not broken but it sure isn’t comfortable, and your right temple is throbbing in time to your now resumed footsteps. You grit your teeth against that and squint against the rain.

Just an easy run, they said.

Well yeah, they’re not the ones running.

“What on Earth did I just trip over?” You groan in the comms and you hear Sam immediately stutter for an answer.

“ _It looks like some sort of small figure – Old garden gnome perhaps?”_

Garden gnomes. Never good for anything.

You’re about to comment something bitterly about old people always keeping them to scare children away when you hear the door open to the comms room.

“ _Sam? I was waiting for you with the game but you didn’t come back, so I assumed you might’ve gotten stuck here—Oh my God, is that Runner 5?!”_

The new voice is female and in stark contrast to the other two because it is so very American. You look around for a few moments to catch sight of the nearest camera and then you raise your hand and smile crookedly despite your vague limp and headache. Garden gnomes.

“Hello, Doctor Meyers!”

“ _Okay first of all, we’ve been over this, you can call me Maxine and second of all – Janine, what are you doing sending a runner out in this weather?! It’s dangerous!”_

 _“_ Yeah thanks, I realized that.” You comment coolly even if the question wasn’t for you.

“ _It wasn’t raining when I sent Runner 5 off! And you might be happy to know, Doctor, that these are actually quite the gathering of medical supplies from the supermarket.”_ You hear Janine cleverly defend herself, but Maxine Meyers isn’t such a fool.

_“From the Tesco that Jody ran by? That couldn’t wait until there was a bit of sunshine?”_

You like Maxine. Yes, alright, she was a little harsh when you first came and she threatened not to let you in unless you ran by the hospital, but she had her reasons and she warmed up pretty fast. She’s very loyal, you discovered, to her craft of being a doctor, which is why she seems bitter with Janine now – She really doesn’t like risking a runner for medical supplies unless it’s strictly necessary.

You tone the conversation out, again wiping a hand up to remove some stray hair, rain mixed with sweat and a small bump on your temple. You think you feel partly dried blood but that could also just be rain. A glance around confirms that there are no zoms immediately at your tail (when your operators are too busy, you gotta check yourself) and you slow your pace just a bit to catch your breath.

“ _Five?_ ”

You wince in surprise at your name and wonder how long Maxine has been trying to get your attention. “Ya?”

“ _You’re limping. Are you okay?”_

“Little, unfortunate thing in the city – I fell over a garden gnome. Yeah I know, lame, thank God that’s not what it has to say on my tombstone, I wasn’t bitten. Don’t worry.”

“ _Sam already told me that and he also said that you might’ve hit your head in the fall – I meant if it hurts.”_

“Nothing severe – It just stings a little.” You admit sheepishly. It’s not fun being on the receiving end of the Docs chiding. No one can hold face on her for long, not even Janine.

A sigh and then prolonged silence follows and you cannot tell what glances are being exchanged between them. “ _Runner 8 is on her way to your position.”_ Janine finally breaks in.

“What?” You blink, surprised and then frowns. “That’s not necessary – I’m fine, it’s not that far until the township. I can manage!”

Janine more or less ignores you and continues. _“There are some zoms to your 9 – Don’t worry, not too close, but they might catch up. Runner 8 will just rendezvous with you briefly and then run interference to make sure you can get back.”_ A moment of hesitation. “ _Doctors orders._ ”

Ah, so that’s why.

 

It takes a little while before you see Sarah in the distance and you give her a small wave. “Watch yourself, Five! Don’t want you losing that good mind or good feet.” She calls to you fondly and you give her a tired laugh in response before slowing to a jog, knowing that the zoms are well-handled.

The rain has slowed – Not stopped, but slowed so that your vision isn’t totally hindered by the time you head up to the gates leading into Abel.

The whining of them makes you scrunch your nose but you go hurry in to find Maxine already standing there in her white, very science-style coat, drops of rain rolling off of it, arms crossed and watching you with very observing, clever eyes.

Just as you come in, too, Sam scurries outside from the Comms-hut and looks at you in concern, making you want to roll your eyes. His hoodie is too big, his hair is still a mess, and yet he still somehow tries to cover it with a hand. Not that it helps.

“Come on, Five, let’s have you checked up.” Maxine says in a tone, which leaves no room for discussion.

“Are you alright, Five? Not too hurt? No bites?”

You smile at Sam’s worry and wave a hand dismissively. “I’m fine, Sam. I’ve tried worse crashes than that.” This makes him laugh unsurely but nonetheless he looks relieved.

“Five.” Maxine motions you with and you nod, following her. “Sam, can you take the bags? Until I’ve looked at that ankle, I don’t want any unnecessary weight on it.” You hand it to Sam without asking if he does want to carry them, because of course he does. He wouldn’t dare say no to Maxine anyways – She’s nice but terrifying if you do manage to get her mad. Poor Runner 3… You’re all still very careful about mentioning that _incident._

You’re led into the hospital wing and sit on one of the chairs while Sam bustles with the bottles and containers to look them over, check due-dates and so forth, like procedure goes. Maxine returns to you after a little while to check you over.

She first looks at your head. There’s a small wound but nothing bad, she even tells you that it doesn’t look like you have a concussion – For which you’re grateful.

Your ankle isn’t off that bad. Twisted a little bit and then strained from continuously running on it after that (whoops) but the Doc cleans it and wraps it up within a few moments. You already feel better off and grin, halfway managing to stand up, “Thanks, Doctor! I’ll head off to the—“

“Training track? I don’t think so.” Maxine pushes you right back into your seat with a patient hand and watches you like a mother who just caught her child doing something they weren’t supposed to. Close to the same thing, really. “Three days, Five. You stay off that foot. I don’t want you running around until it’s healed.”

Your face drops. “But—“

“No.”

Your mouth turn downwards sourly and you sink back into the chair. No running!? That’s the only thing you do these days, because there’s little other to entertain oneself with. Also, everyone in Abel has to earn their keep! You don’t wanna just sit it out!

But there’s no arguing with Maxine Meyers, there never is. “Aw, don’t look so sad, Five. Maybe I’ll go on baby-sitting duty… Runner-sitting? Nah, I feel like those two contradict each other. Anyways, I’m sure we can come up with something to do so you won’t bore yourself to the undead.” Sam smiles and it’s so genuine that you can hardly help one in return. “Now come on, let’s find you some dry clothes.”


End file.
